DAVIE COUNCIL VOTES TO ABOLISH MAYOR

DAVIE -- The Town Council, in a surprise move late Wednesday, voted to abolish the position of mayor and replace the job title with an identically powered council chairmanship.

The change, which is expected to go to the voters in a November referendum, would leave the town's day-to-day operations in the hands of a town administrator. Like the mayor is now, the council chairman would be appointed by the council from its ranks and would only run meetings and sign documents.

Wednesday's 3-1 vote came on the heels of a two-month controversy about whether the mayor should be elected by voters or by the council. The council, bitterly divided over the issue, recently decided against holding a referendum on the matter.

That decision angered leaders of several civic groups who had begun a petition drive to get the matter on the ballot. Bob Nerzig, a leader of the drive, said the groups would push ahead despite the council's move to abolish the mayor's office.

Abolishing the office "is just the council's way of avoiding the whole issue of how the mayor is elected," he said.

Were voters to approve abolishing the mayor's office, it would be a first in Broward County.

"This will totally eliminate all the controversy and all the grief we've seen in the last two months," said council member Frank Cannata, who proposed Wednesday's action and opposes popular election of a mayor. "They're making a big issue of electing the mayor, when it doesn't mean a thing. The only thing the mayor does is run meetings. That's all the new chairperson would do."

Vice Mayor Kathy Cox and council member Earl Morrall, both of whom also oppose popular election of the mayor, voted for the change.

Mayor Monroe Kiar, absent while recovering from surgery, said late Wednesday he also would have opposed the plan.

"It's one of the most absurd and asinine proposals I have ever heard of," Kiar said from his home.